Shuffling machine with antistatic mechanism

ABSTRACT

A shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism has a central accommodation trough, a left accommodation trough, a right accommodation trough, and a card distribution space. The shuffling machine includes a movable board disposed over the central, left and right accommodation troughs at a predetermined height. The movable board includes a card distribution plate located in the card distribution space to distribute playing cards in the central trough to the left or right accommodation trough. One side of the card distribution plate has a first stopper, and another side has a second stopper. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the left accommodation trough, the second stopper is to separate the central trough from the right accommodation trough. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the first stopper is to separate the central trough from the left accommodation trough.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to any reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism, and more particularly to a shuffling machine having a first stopper and a second stopper located in a card distribution space to separate a central accommodation trough from a left accommodation trough or a right accommodation trough when playing cards are distributed, preventing the playing cards from floating and shifting because of static electricity.

Description of Related Arts

A conventional shuffling machine 10, as shown in FIG. 1, has a central accommodation trough 11, a left accommodation trough 12, a right accommodation trough 13, and an interconnected card distribution space 14 above the central accommodation trough 11, the left accommodation trough 12, and the right accommodation trough 13. Each accommodation trough is provided with a platform therein. The platform is connected with a lift mechanism to drive the platform up and down. The shuffling machine 10 is provided with a movable board 15. The movable board 15 is movably disposed over the central accommodation trough 11, the left accommodation trough 12, and the right accommodation trough 13 at a predetermined height. The movable board 15 includes a card distribution plate 16 extending downward and vertically. A drive mechanism 17 is connected with the movable board 15 to drive the movable board 15 to move left and right. The card distribution plate 16 is in the card distribution space 14 to distribute playing cards 1 to the left accommodation trough 12 or the right accommodation trough 13, providing automatic distributing and shuffling functions. Although the shuffling machine 10 can distribute and shuffle playing cards automatically, the playing cards 1 accumulate static electricity due to friction. When the card distribution plate 16 of the movable board 15 distributes the playing cards 1 from the central accommodation trough 11 to the left accommodation trough 12, the card distribution space 14 above the central accommodation trough 11 and the left accommodation trough 12 is separated by the card distribution plate 16. The card distribution space 14 above the central accommodation trough 11 and the right accommodation trough 13 is open. The upmost playing cards 1 in the central accommodation trough 11 and the right accommodation trough 13 will float and shift between the central accommodation trough 11 and the right accommodation trough 13 because of electrostatic interaction. When the card distribution plate 16 is returned or homed, the playing cards 1 may be bent or deformed. Similarly, when the card distribution plate 16 of the movable board 15 distributes the playing cards 1 from the central accommodation trough 11 to the right accommodation trough 13, the card distribution space 14 above the central accommodation trough 11 and the right accommodation trough 13 is separated by the card distribution plate 16. The card distribution space 14 above the central accommodation trough 11 and the left accommodation trough 12 is open. The upmost playing cards 1 in the central accommodation trough 11 and the left accommodation trough 12 will float and shift between the central accommodation trough 11 and the left accommodation trough 12 because of electrostatic interaction. When the card distribution plate 16 is returned or homed, the playing cards 1 may be bent or deformed. If the foregoing situation is happened, it is necessary to remove the obstacle manually. Electrostatic interaction makes the shuffling machine 10 fail very often. If a game is paused from time to time for manual correction, not only is the game risked unfairness, but also game-players' pleasure with the game is dampened. This also causes a waste of playing cards. This shuffling machine is unpractical. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to solve the foregoing problems and to provide a shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism. A movable board brings a first stopper and a second stopper to move synchronously. When the movable board distributes playing cards to a left accommodation trough, the playing cards won't float and shift between a central accommodation trough and a right accommodation trough because of static electricity. When the movable board distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the playing cards won't float and shift between the central accommodation trough and the left accommodation trough because of static electricity.

In order to achieve the aforesaid object, the shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism of the present invention has a central accommodation trough, a left accommodation trough, and a right accommodation trough. The shuffling machine further has an interconnected card distribution space above the central accommodation trough, the left accommodation trough, and the right accommodation trough. The shuffling machine is provided with a movable board. The movable board is movably disposed over the central accommodation trough, the left accommodation trough, and the right accommodation trough at a predetermined height. The movable board includes a card distribution plate extending downward and vertically. The card distribution plate is located in the card distribution space to distribute playing cards in the central trough to the left accommodation trough or the right accommodation trough. One side of the card distribution plate is provided with a first stopper extending downward and vertically. Another side of the card distribution plate is provided with a second stopper extending downward and vertically. The card distribution plate is located between the first stopper and the second stopper. Thereby, the card distribution plate, the first stopper and the second stopper are synchronously displaced left and right in the card distribution space. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the left accommodation trough, the second stopper is to separate the central trough from the right accommodation trough. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the first stopper is to separate the central trough from the left accommodation trough.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the movable board is provided with an extension frame thereon. One end of the extension frame is provided with the first stopper. The card distribution plate is disposed at one side of the movable board. The second stopper is disposed at another side of the movable board, enabling the card distribution plate to be between the first stopper and the second stopper.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an outer side of the left accommodation trough is formed with a left slot, and an outer side of the right accommodation trough is formed with a right slot. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the left accommodation trough, the first stopper is moved to the left slot. When the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the second stopper is moved to the right slot.

In an embodiment of the present invention, one side of each of the first stopper and the second stopper, facing the card distribution plate, has a curved section.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the card distribution plate and the first stopper is equal to the width of the left accommodation trough. The distance between the card distribution plate and the second stopper is equal to the width of the right accommodation trough.

Thus, the present invention can prevent the playing cards in the left accommodation trough or in the right accommodation trough from floating and shifting to the central accommodation trough because of static electricity, or prevent the playing cards in the central accommodation trough from floating and shifting to the left accommodation trough or the right accommodation trough because of electrostatic interaction. The shuffling machine can run more smoothly. Thus, the present invention can prevent the playing cards from floating and shifting because of electrostatic interaction to cause a pause of the game. The shuffling machine can run more smoothly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional shuffling machine;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional shuffling machine, showing that the playing cards are distributed to the left accommodation trough;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the conventional shuffling machine, showing that the playing cards are distributed to the right accommodation trough;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the present invention, showing that the playing cards are distributed to the left accommodation trough; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the present invention, showing that the playing cards are distributed to the right accommodation trough.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the present invention discloses a shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism. The shuffling machine 20 has a central accommodation trough 21, a left accommodation trough 22, and a right accommodation trough 23. An outer side of the left accommodation trough 22 is formed with a left slot 221. An outer side of the right accommodation trough 23 is formed with a right slot 231. The shuffling machine 20 has an interconnected card distribution space 24 above the central accommodation trough 21, the left accommodation trough 22, and the right accommodation trough 23. The shuffling machine 20 is provided with a movable board 25. The movable board 25 is movably disposed over the central accommodation trough 21, the left accommodation trough 22, and the right accommodation trough 23 at a predetermined height. The movable board 25 includes a card distribution plate 26 extending downward and vertically. The card distribution plate 26 is located in the card distribution space 24 to distribute playing cards 1 in the central accommodation trough 21 to the left accommodation trough 22 or the right accommodation trough 23. The movable board 25 is provided with an extension frame 27 thereon. The extension frame 27 is provided with a first stopper 28 extending downward and vertically. The card distribution plate 26 is disposed at one side of the movable board 25. Another side of the movable board 25 is provided with a second stopper 29 extending downward and vertically. The card distribution plate 26 is located between the first stopper 28 and the second stopper 29. Thereby, the card distribution plate 26, the first stopper 28 and the second stopper 29 are synchronously displaced left and right in the card distribution space 24. When the card distribution plate 26 distributes the playing cards 1 to the left accommodation trough 22, the first stopper 28 is moved to the left slot 221 and the second stopper 29 is to separate the central trough 21 from the right accommodation trough 23. When the card distribution plate 26 distributes the playing cards 1 to the right accommodation trough 23, the second stopper 29 is moved to the right slot 231 and the first stopper 28 is to separate the central trough 21 from the left accommodation trough 22. Through the aforesaid structure, the playing cards 1 in the shuffling machine 20 won't float and shift because of electrostatic interaction to cause a pause of the game. The shuffling machine can run more smoothly.

The details of the assembly of the present invention are described as below. Referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the card distribution plate 26 is disposed at one side of the movable board 25, not at a symmetrical position. The first stopper 28 is mounted to the extension frame 27 to form a distance between the card distribution plate 26 and the first stopper 28. The distance between the card distribution plate 26 and the first stopper 28 is equal to the width of the left accommodation trough 22, and the distance between the card distribution plate 26 and the second stopper 29 is equal to the width of the right accommodation trough 23. One side of the first stopper 28, facing the card distribution plate 26, has a curved section 281. One side of the second stopper 29, facing the card distribution plate 26, also has a curved section 291. Thereby, when the first stopper 28 is moved from the left slot 221, the playing cards 1 in the left accommodation trough 22 won't be poked by the first stopper 28. Similarly, when the second stopper 29 is moved from the right slot 231, the playing cards 1 in the right accommodation trough 23 won't be poked by the second stopper 29.

When in use, referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, when the card distribution plate 26 of the movable board 25 distributes the playing cards 1 from the central accommodation trough 21 to the left accommodation trough 22 as shown in FIG. 6, the card distribution space 24 above the central accommodation trough 21 and the left accommodation trough 22 is separated by the card distribution plate 26. At this moment, the first stopper 28 is moved to the left slot 221 to prevent the card distribution plate 26 from being interfered and unable to be positioned, and the card distribution space 24 above the central accommodation trough 21 and the right accommodation trough 23 is separated by the second stopper 29 so that the playing cards 1 with static electricity won't float and shift to the other accommodation trough. Similarly, when the card distribution plate 26 of the movable board 25 distributes the playing cards 1 from the central accommodation trough 21 to the right accommodation trough 23 as shown in FIG. 7, the card distribution space 24 above the central accommodation trough 21 and the right accommodation trough 23 is separated by the card distribution plate 26. At this moment, the second stopper 29 is moved to the right slot 231 to prevent the card distribution plate 26 from being interfered and unable to be positioned, and the card distribution space 24 above the central accommodation trough 21 and the left accommodation trough 22 is separated by the first stopper 28 so that the playing cards 1 with static electricity won't float and shift to the other accommodation trough. Thus, the present invention can prevent the playing cards from floating and shifting because of electrostatic interaction to cause a pause of the game or can prevent the playing cards from being damaged. The shuffling machine can run more smoothly.

Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism, the shuffling machine having a central accommodation trough, a left accommodation trough and a right accommodation trough, the shuffling machine further having an interconnected card distribution space above the central accommodation trough, the left accommodation trough and the right accommodation trough, the shuffling machine being provided with a movable board, the movable board being movably disposed over the central accommodation trough, the left accommodation trough and the right accommodation trough at a predetermined height, the movable board including a card distribution plate extending downward and vertically, the card distribution plate being located in the card distribution space to distribute playing cards in the central accommodation trough to the left accommodation trough or the right accommodation trough, one side of the card distribution plate being provided with a first stopper extending downward and vertically, another side of the card distribution plate being provided with a second stopper extending downward and vertically, the card distribution plate being between the first stopper and the second stopper; thereby, the card distribution plate, the first stopper and the second stopper being synchronously displaced left and right in the card distribution space, wherein when the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the left accommodation trough, the second stopper is to separate the central trough from the right accommodation trough; when the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the first stopper is to separate the central trough from the left accommodation trough.
 2. The shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable board is provided with an extension frame thereon, one end of the extension frame is provided with the first stopper, the card distribution plate is disposed at one side of the movable board, and the second stopper is disposed at another side of the movable board, enabling the card distribution plate to be between the first stopper and the second stopper.
 3. The shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein an outer side of the left accommodation trough is formed with a left slot, an outer side of the right accommodation trough is formed with a right slot, when the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the left accommodation trough, the first stopper is moved to the left slot, when the card distribution plate distributes the playing cards to the right accommodation trough, the second stopper is moved to the right slot.
 4. The shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein one side of each of the first stopper and the second stopper, facing the card distribution plate, has a curved section.
 5. The shuffling machine with an antistatic mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between the card distribution plate and the first stopper is equal to a width of the left accommodation trough, and another distance between the card distribution plate and the second stopper is equal to a width of the right accommodation trough. 